The Cooks' Den » Food Processors http://www.thecooksden.com Cooking Tools - Gear for Cooks and Chefs Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:49:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Cuisinart Prep Plus Food Processor Review | 11 Cup White DLC-2011N http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-prep-plus-food-processor-review-11-cup-white-dlc-2011n-2/ http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-prep-plus-food-processor-review-11-cup-white-dlc-2011n-2/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:11:56 +0000 Sharon http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=12810 Cuisinart Prep Plus Food ProcessorThe new and improved Cuisinart Prep Plus 11-Cup Food Processor has been keeping steady on top of the best-sellers' lists for quite a while. Is this because it's a quality product, or because there are a lot of places to find it on sale now... or both?

I'd say: both.

It's not often you come across an appliance that has a good balance between multiple functions and user-friendliness, but the Prep Plus has it. The feed tube, for example, has been updated from previous Cuisinart food processor models to make it easier to assemble and use. It's a wide feed tube at 4.25 x 2.75 inches -- and if that's too big for some of your kitchen chores, a narrower feed tube is located insides the pusher. And if even that's not enough, a small pin-sized hole is located on the bottom of the pusher, just wide enough to accommodate an oil drip for when you're making homemade mayonnaise.

The bowl itself is made from a material called Lexan, shatter-proof and dishwasher safe, which is housed in a classic white base. It holds 11 cups and works with a 600-watt motor -- capable enough to handle medium-strength tasks but not something in an "industrial strength" category that you could use for hours on end. But the cool thing here is that the option for kneading dough is automatically sensitive to density. When kneading dough with the Prep Plus, the processor will adjust the speed all on its own -- not overworking the dough, saving mechanical strength. Win-win.

One other thing I really like about this set is the interchangeable blades. It comes with a slicing, shredding, and dough blade. Other interchangeable blades from previous Cuisinart food processors should work on this machine as well as 11-cup blades from completely different manufacturers, too. Stainless steel processor blades are awesome and rarely need replacing, but it's always nice to have back-ups.

This set also comes with a spatula, a recipe booklet, and an instructional how-to DVD for setting up the machine and making a lot of the recipes shown inside the booklet.

There isn't a lot of negative feedback from this set exclusively. A small pet peeve for me is that the center wall which covers the rotation mechanism can be a bit short depending on what I'm trying to make, but over time, I've learned to deal with it and make smaller batches.

However, take note of where and when you're purchasing this set online. There have recently been reports of faulty packaging units that are shipped with the small feed tube completely wedged inside and impossible to remove, thereby damaging the product when it finally does get out. If this happens, you can go a couple of routes: return it to the manufacturer and hope for a better replacement product, or call Cuisinart's customer service and demand a product packaged well. But there's another twist to this story: seems the faulty packaging units also shipped with unrecognizable serial numbers that Cuisinart was unable to trace. (Whaaa...??)

Ideally, by now the defective units have been alerted to proper authorities so that you don't have to mess with insanely difficult packaging. It'll be tight, no doubt, but that's a good thing... as long as it's removable. Thousands of Cuisinart food processor owners stand by their brand and don't even consider switching. You will likely join their throngs -- just as long as you're prepared that you probably won't be using it within five minutes of it arriving at your doorstep. Keep scissors and an X-Acto knife close by, and you'll be fine.

Wanna see this model in brushed chrome or electric red?

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-prep-plus-food-processor-review-11-cup-white-dlc-2011n-2/feed/ 0 Jamie Oliver Food Processor Magimix 5100 | Cuisine Systeme Chopper & Juicer by Robot Coupe http://www.thecooksden.com/jamie-oliver-food-processor-magimix-5100-cuisine-systeme-chopper-juicer-by-robot-coupe/ http://www.thecooksden.com/jamie-oliver-food-processor-magimix-5100-cuisine-systeme-chopper-juicer-by-robot-coupe/#comments Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:49:58 +0000 Sharon http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=12069 Jamie Oliver Food Processor MagimixHere's a bit of culinary trivia: Did you know that the creator of the food processor was from Burgundy, France? A man named Pierre Verdan came up with the concept over 35 years ago. He put his French catering business sense to good use and created an appliance to help him with his prep work. Little did he know that his Magimix food processor would catch on so well -- and we thank him for it.

This modern Magimix is praised by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver as well as countless other professional chefs and home cooks around the globe. It's primarily sold in Europe, so it may be hard to come by if you live in the United States. But if you're able to find one of these, snag it while you still can.

While it is indeed a decent food processor, the Magimix also works as 7 additional appliances at the same time: citrus press, mixer, juicer, mandoline slicer, chopper, grater, and blender. Most of these options require interchangeable blades, and the Magimix set includes sharp Sabatier blades to handle these tasks, so you don't have to purchase them as extras. Other extras include a cream whipper and storage holder.

The motor is smart enough to adjust its speed for different uses and is much quieter than expected. Its 950-Watt system is guaranteed for 12 years. All the parts that come with it can be washed in the dishwasher, although it's recommended to wash the blades in hot, soapy water instead of the dishwasher -- this will extend both life and appearance.

While this may seem like the super-machine of all kitchen tech toys at first, there are a few drawbacks. The feed tube at the top is relatively small compared to other food processors, and this may become difficult when juicing. It's also common to see food buildup in between the blades and the feed tube, but this can be easily cleaned. For all its uses (and durability to boot), this Magimix is worth the investment.

If you're looking instead for a simple, no-fuss food processor without a handful of extra components to store, take a look at this one from KitchenAid.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/jamie-oliver-food-processor-magimix-5100-cuisine-systeme-chopper-juicer-by-robot-coupe/feed/ 0 Black & Decker Stainless Steel Food Processor | 10 Cup FP1550S http://www.thecooksden.com/black-decker-stainless-steel-food-processor-10-cup-fp1550s/ http://www.thecooksden.com/black-decker-stainless-steel-food-processor-10-cup-fp1550s/#comments Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:48:51 +0000 JT Hats http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=8819 Black & Decker Stainless Steel FoodBuilt for slicing, shredding, mixing dough, and blending, the all purpose ten-cup Black and Decker FP 1550S Food Processor can perform well but requires some special care. The ten-cup capacity is misleading, with amounts well below this level being a safe amount for this lightly built machine.

Although the 500-watt motor is stout enough and the warranty extends for a year beyond purchase, essential parts from locking latches to gear assemblies are plastic and vulnerable. Be careful not to force the latches that hold down the lid, because too much pressure or incorrect alignments can break these parts. Safety lock switches prevent the machine from working without them.

Be conservative when mixing bread dough or grating cheese, because these high torque jobs can over-stress gears and lead to breakdowns. Working on smaller portions will extend the machine's lifetime. Within its limits, the Black and Decker will slice fruits and vegetables, puree cooked food to baby food consistency, and save you from the chore of kneading bread dough. When preparing large amounts it definitely cuts down on prep time, but you will probably need to do the work in portions.

Dishwasher safe, the removable parts are complex enough that finishing touches by hand will usually be needed. The blade discs will stay sharp longer if you keep them out of the dishwasher cycle and tend to them completely by hand.

Compare this with Hamilton Beach's 10-cup food processor.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/black-decker-stainless-steel-food-processor-10-cup-fp1550s/feed/ 2 Cuisinart Electric Food Processor | Bread Dough Mixer | 7 Cup DLC-5BK http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-electric-food-processor-bread-dough-mixer-7-cup-dlc-5bk/ http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-electric-food-processor-bread-dough-mixer-7-cup-dlc-5bk/#comments Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:04:09 +0000 JT Hats http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=8813 Cuisinart Electric Food Processor Excelling at some common food processing jobs like kneading bread dough and slicing fruits and vegetables, the Cuisinart DLC-5BK Food Processor falls short in other areas. The rated capacity of seven cups is not an accurate working volume -- three cups of liquid is the maximum working load.

Although the useful volume of any food processor is less than the maximum it holds, the DLC-5 has a few other quirks you wouldn't expect. Overfilling the work bowl can cause liquid to leak beneath the lid and around the blade spindle. High speed settings may be too messy to be useful.

Depending on your uses, this can still be a good machine for your kitchen. The 600-watt motor can chop up to a pound of meat and knead one-and-a-half pounds of bread dough without overloading. Sharp interchangeable stainless steel disc blades make short work of grating cheese and slicing fruits and vegetables. Pay close attention to amounts, and don't use the highest speed settings when mixing dry ingredients or blending liquids.

Backed up with an excellent warranty of five years on the motor and three years on other parts, the DLC-5 disassembles easily but will require thorough hand cleaning.

Also take a look at the Cuisinart Duet Food Processor set:

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-electric-food-processor-bread-dough-mixer-7-cup-dlc-5bk/feed/ 0 Cuisinart Handy Prep Food Processor | Grater Chopper 3 Cup DFP-3 http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-handy-prep-food-processor-grater-chopper-3-cup-dfp-3/ http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-handy-prep-food-processor-grater-chopper-3-cup-dfp-3/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:13:52 +0000 Alice http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=8629 Cuisinart Handy Prep Food Processor If you doubt at all the speed and ability of a food processor, try a little race at home. Time yourself slicing, chopping, or shredding with your best knife, and then run the same item through the Cuisinart. Not only is it faster, you will notice that the pieces come out uniformly sized and attractive. Thoughtful features abound, like a small hole in the pusher which allows you to drizzle liquids in slowly for homemade mayo and sauces.

The Handy Prep is small enough to keep out on the counter and not be in the way. Don't let the small size fool you though; this machine is tough enough to knead dough or whip up a pie crust. Use light pressure with a cold cheese to grate and shred. If you have never had freshly ground nut butter, you are missing a taste treat. Add your favorite nuts and grind your own for sandwiches, spreads, or to add to recipes.

I try whenever possible to store all of the pieces of the processor together, including the blades. I tend to drop mine inside the work bowl so I can locate them easily, but if you have children or tend to reach without looking, you may want to isolate the blades in a drawer by themselves or wrap them individually, as they are razor sharp.

For larger portions, Cuisinart makes a 14-cup food processor as well.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-handy-prep-food-processor-grater-chopper-3-cup-dfp-3/feed/ 0 Cuisinart Food Processor, Interchangeable Blades | Electric Red Prep 11 Plus DLC-2011 http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-prep-11-plus-food-processor-electric-red-dlc-2011/ http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-prep-11-plus-food-processor-electric-red-dlc-2011/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:05:18 +0000 JT Hats http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=8465 Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus Food Processor With a powerful 600-watt motor and interchangeable processing disc blades, the Cuisinart Prep 11 is backed up by company claims that parts are virtually unbreakable and even tough jobs like mixing and kneading bread dough are within its range. The eleven-cup capacity of the blender pitcher implies the machine will do that much work, and there's where the trouble comes in. Maximum practical capacity is about half that much, and some leakage during use is even considered normal.

Running the machine under heavy loads is tempting but very tough on the assembly, and it isn't uncommon for the virtually unbreakable parts to begin breaking after a few months of what would seem like reasonable use. The three-year warranty will replace most of the problem pieces, but only after damaged parts are returned to the company, so service is an unhappy and lengthy process for many.

The machine does have many good features, with two sizes of feed tubes and a convenient way to add just the right amount of oil to mayonnaise that's still in process. The motor, warranted for ten years, automatically gears down under heavy load and generally has not been the source of the processor's problems. High expectations are normal when you work with a machine this powerful and this large, but with the Prep 11, those high hopes can often lead to trouble.

Here's a mini 4-cup version that works like a charm.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-prep-11-plus-food-processor-electric-red-dlc-2011/feed/ 0 Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Food Processor | Electric 4 Cup DLC-4CHB http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-mini-prep-plus-food-processor-electric-4-cup-dlc-4chb/ http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-mini-prep-plus-food-processor-electric-4-cup-dlc-4chb/#comments Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:54:14 +0000 JT Hats http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=8462 Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Food Processor The four-cup capacity Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus is a handy alternative to a full-sized blender, with enough power for small jobs and easy-to-clean features that will give it more use. The Mini-Prep will grind as well as chop dry ingredients, and has push button controls plus automatic reversal for the grinding option.

The Mini-Prep makes quick spreads and dips with fresh ingredients and also prepares hard cheeses, nuts, hard chocolate, and seeds for use as fresh toppings You may need to stop the machine occasionally and scrape the walls of the container with the spatula provided in order to get a smooth mix.

Many blenders will bog down if you don't get a liquid mix right, or if you overload the pitcher with harder items. If you sense distress in this little machine, shut it down and reconsider what you are doing. Motors generally burn out because of overloads.

The small size is a definite advantage for most kitchens, saving ingredients as well as clean-up time. If you prepare food in small batches, you don't feel obligated to eat more than you should -- so if you watch calories, a small volume machine like the Mini-Prep is a great help.

Want a food processor like this in a blender combo set?

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/cuisinart-mini-prep-plus-food-processor-electric-4-cup-dlc-4chb/feed/ 1 Kitchenaid Stand Mixer | Food Grinder Attachment FGA http://www.thecooksden.com/kitchenaid-stand-mixer-food-grinder-attachment-fga/ http://www.thecooksden.com/kitchenaid-stand-mixer-food-grinder-attachment-fga/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:46:01 +0000 Lora http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=8190 Kitchenaid Stand Mixer A Kitchenaid Stand Mixer does it all. You can use it to make pasta, fettucine noodles, spaghetti. You can even use it to make raviolis. Yum.

You can use your Kitchenaid Stand Mixer as a food processor, to knead bread, to open cans, to mix cake batter.

The possibilities are seemingly limitless. The Kitchenaid Stand Mixer is the wonder machine of the kitchen -- if, and this is a big if, you have all the right parts.

By right parts, I mean the appropriate attachment for the product. The ravioli maker, the can opener, the pasta sheet roller, etc...

The Food Grinder attachment -- one of the many attachments -- fits all Kitchenaid Stand Mixers. (All Kitchenaid attachments will fit all Kitchenaid Stand Mixers). The Food Grinder attachment includes coarse and fine plates for grinding meats, firm fruits, and vegetables. It also comes with a stomper to help push those last bits of food through the plates.

There's a myriad of possible uses for this attachment. Just looking at meat, for example, there's many ways you could go: ground turkey, meatloaf, home-made sausage, salmon burgers. Or you could go the veggie route and try using it to make hummus.

Having the attachment opens up a new world of possibilities.

Now, if Kitchenaid could come up with an attachment that would wash the dishes for me, I'd be set.

If you don't have the stand mixer, try a separate meat grinder like this one from Panasonic.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/kitchenaid-stand-mixer-food-grinder-attachment-fga/feed/ 0 Hamilton Beach Chef Prep Food Processor | Black Stainless Steel 70670 http://www.thecooksden.com/hamilton-beach-chef-prep-food-processor-black-stainless-steel-70670/ http://www.thecooksden.com/hamilton-beach-chef-prep-food-processor-black-stainless-steel-70670/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:22:50 +0000 Alice http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=7692 Hamilton Beach Chef Prep Food Processor There are times when a machine needs to be complicated and times when it should be simple. Then again, there are occasions where the two sides can come together to improve function on all fronts. The Chef Prep is one of these combinations. It operates from a simple thumb press knob, yet has a selection of reversible stainless steel blades which make precise, variable cuts. What really sets this processor apart from others like it is the second level of speed it offers. This gives you a choice when it comes to powering through tougher foods, or for the instances where you get stubborn foods that want to bounce instead of submitting to the blade.

I'm the worst when it comes to assembling parts, so I was pleased that it also has a very easy-to-lock bowl with visual cues to seat it correctly on the base. The ten-cup capacity is large enough for most processing jobs. A food processor isn't for every chore, but there are many occasions where it is indispensable for its speed and control. I do not possess the knife skills to turn out a consistently presentable dish, so I rely on the blades to make some of the cuts which give me the greatest headache. When the prep is done, the parts get tossed into the dishwasher.

Also see the KitchenAid Chef Chopper.

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]]> http://www.thecooksden.com/hamilton-beach-chef-prep-food-processor-black-stainless-steel-70670/feed/ 1 Hamilton Beach DuraBlend Wave Action Blender Food Processor Combo Set http://www.thecooksden.com/hamilton-beach-durablend-wave-action-blender-food-processor-combo-set/ http://www.thecooksden.com/hamilton-beach-durablend-wave-action-blender-food-processor-combo-set/#comments Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:13:15 +0000 JT Hats http://www.thecooksden.com/?p=4800 Hamilton Beach DuraBlend Wave ActionThis Wave Action 12 Speed Blender/Food Processor from Hamilton Beach has been designed around special features that somewhat limit its all around effectiveness. It can still be a good choice if you like what it does best--milk shakes and smoothies.

The 700 Watt motor is plenty powerful enough to handle the jobs you need done, and the Durablend plastic reservoirs are nearly shatter proof. Twelve speeds give excellent control of processing stages and make the machine very easy to operate. Circulation of the food in the blender depends on the special "wave action" design--you don't get waves unless you are working with liquid. More solid foods tend to settle to the sides of the pitcher and aren't efficiently returned to the blades.

The small three cup food processor attachment will handle dry products such as nutmeats and semi dry products like potatoes, but there's a minimum amount of ingredients that work well. Too little volume is an issue, and the chopper won't agitate the mix well enough to thoroughly turn over the food. Chunks get left behind.

You'll need to pay close attention to assembly, making sure gaskets are properly seated before use, and since this is a "wave action" machine there's no peeking under the lid unless you want a mess on the counter. Turn it off before adding new ingredients.

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